Rick Nier...Woo!

People can often be heard expressing shock at what happens in churches. People bicker and bite, they feud and they fight, we meddle and mix together as an often toxic group. When you consider that everyone in the church is a son of Adam, struggling with the selfish and sinful nature, the bigger surprise should be when we get along. The bigger miracle is when we show love to one another.

If you’re reading this in August of 2013, it means I am still catching up on sleep lost while at Camp Chenaniah in July. If you’re reading it at any time later than August, I’m still catching up on sleep. I’m just doing so for some other reason. The main reason I lost so much sleep, besides the normal camp reasons, is that I was counseling in the senior high cabin. This meant, of course, that most of the campers were taller than me. If they were in any sport, they probably outweighed me as well. So, unlike my partner counselors who were 6-foot or taller, respect for my leadership would not be coming because of my imposing physique. When I overheard some of the campers comment that they had not heard any rules about pranks from the director at the opening session, I knew I would need to sleep with one eye open all week. This was a good thing, because there was at least one camper that liked to sit and stare. I’m pretty sure he was plotting. What kept me awake was my lack of knowing ...

My children have not always been perfect. I will give you a few moments to collectively catch your breath and ponder this startling information. They haven't. They have disobeyed my rules. But as they have grown and matured they have come to realize that an eventual apology is needed. But say some stranger came along, pointing out their wrongs from all these years and told them their bad deeds also offended him and he wanted to punish them. One might ask why I haven't warned my kids about strangers. I have. Many times. Yet this idea that a third party is offended is precisely a teaching that many outside the church struggle with. We have told them, and rightly so, that they have offended God, Who they may or may not believe in. This is why I love the good news of Jesus so much. Romans 5 is not the only example, but a reading of this short chapter will show you two things. God has done all the heavy lifting on our behalf. Yes, we were faced with a big sin problem b...

I don't know if this will become the day I always point you to someone else's words. I don't know if this is simply my way of starting my weekend sooner. But I did like this quote I came across. Woo! Comedian Stephen Colbert Advises Graduates on Service During a commencement address at his alma mater, Northwestern University, the comedian Stephen Colbert offered some wise words for life: After I graduated from [Northwestern], I moved to Chicago and did improv. Now there are very few rules about improvisation, but one of the things I was taught early on is that you are not the most important person in the scene. Everybody else is. And if they are the most important people in the scene, you will naturally pay attention to them and serve them. But the good news is you're in the scene too. So hopefully to them you're the most important person, and they will serve you. No one is leading; you're all following the follower, serving the servant. You can...

Dear July, I am going to get right to the point and express my disappointment in you. I don't think I ask for much from you, but I have come to expect one thing. That one thing is simple. Just like Ricky Vaughn in the timeless classic Major League , just bring the heat. It hasn't seemed to have been a problem for you in the past. I have always known July to be hot, with a ridiculous amount of t's. Granted, I grew up in Florida, so all year long, save for two weeks in January, were really hot. But that's beside the point. I have grown to love July, because it meant never having to convince my wife that the air conditioner should be on and that fresh air is overrated. You might ask yourself, July, what is causing this disdain to rise up now? I'll tell you. When I, towards the end of April, planned out my summer calendar, I planned a mid-July trip to a water park. It didn't matter which day I picked, or so I thought. Just pick a day in July and the only thi...

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”Romans 4:18 Clearly Abe had reason to hope. God was his reason to hope. God was the promise he would hold on to. When Paul, who wrote this letter to the Romans, says there was no reason to hope, he is talking about human reasons. Even though no one likes to think about old people making babies, Paul is quite blunt here, telling us that Abraham had one foot in the grave. Abe should have been searching for nursing homes. Instead, he is trying to figure out how to get Medicare to pay for lamasery classes and prenatal care. This is putting God first! This is living on such a way that puts man second. Abraham had no earthly reason to expect a baby. I don't know if he had any friends he was confiding in, but I imagine them to be similar to the kind of friends Job had. "Give up now!...

Sometimes the real thank you comes years later. This is because it sometimes takes years before we truly understand the cost of the gift. It's not that we aren't appreciative at the time, but our gratitude multiplies as our understanding grows. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours putting together a rather large toy. To be specific, it was the U.S.S. Flag, a G.I. Joe aircraft carrier that I had received as a boy. G.I. Joe was an obsession for me as a kid, so when it came time for me to put childish things away, I chose to pack up my extensive collection, in the hopes that I might someday have a boy of my own who would appreciate such a collection. Some 5-30 years later, that day has arrived. My boy's collection is now complete, with this: Having now built it myself, I can give a truly heartfelt thank you to my mom. As I put this 7-foot ship together, I recalled that my mom would stay up late on Christmas Eve, putting together all of the G.I. Joe toys, like mo...

If there is a character in the Bible that seems to totally get his position in life, it is John the Baptist. This guy would have had reason to exalt himself. Luke 1:5-25 & 57-80 tell about his birth. Though not as miraculous as the virgin birth, it was certainly an unexpected gift from God. Luke tells us that John’s parents were ‘well along in years’ when they had him. That’s fancy jargon for ‘they were really too old to be having kids.’ His father Zechariah was told that John would be ‘a joy and delight’ and ‘many will rejoice because of his birth.’ Isn’t this what we all want to hear?  You were born and there was much rejoicing . Gabriel went on, telling Zechariah that John would “bring (people) back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Can you imagine them telling Joh...

I came across this article, a good encouragement for pastors and church leaders. But as I am wont to do, I am bringing the message to the people. You, the people. Because as Chevy Chase's boss in Christmas Vacation  noted, "It's people that make the difference, little people like you." My sarcasm aside, enjoy this Peanut Butter Challenge .

Last week I spoke at a camp. It was, overall, a good experience. That is, if you take away the lack of sleep, the icy lake we swam in, the large beasts that eat your flesh and the lack of sleep. Did I mention lack of sleep twice? Sorry, I'm still recovering. My favorite part, since I'm a teacher, was the chapel sessions we had. I had planned a God is series. You can read parts of those talks here , here , here and here . It was a lot of fun, because many of these kids didn't have a great knowledge of the Bible or the incredible stories within its pages. Since I love to retell these amazing stories, this became to the perfect place to do just that. As I shared with them just how big, powerful, awesome and personal God is, it refreshed me as well. God is not just those things for people who have never heard of Him. He is those things for me and you as well. In so many stories, the writers reflect God's heart. God just assumes His nature, His existence, His missi...

Tell me if this scene sounds vaguely familiar. I was in Northern Michigan with my wife last week. We took a team to help lead a camp up there. In case you've never been to Northern Michigan, you should know they have these large flying beasts that gnaw on your body. They call them mosquitoes, though I'm sure they are left over from some plague God forgot He had sent on the Earth. We had arrived on Saturday. By Tuesday I had more bites on my body than Track and Field athletes had positive test results. Knowing my wife had come prepared, I asked to borrow the bottle of mosquito repellent. Handing me a bottle, she commented that I could keep that one with me. After all, she had an extra bottle. "You've had two bottles of mosquito repellent this whole time?" I cried out. "Yeah," she replied, "we're in Northern Michigan." Then I proceeded to throw her briefcase, filled with thousands of dollars, into a lake. Okay, that last part ma...

I had  prepared for the lesson. I always  prepare for the lesson. Not preparing for a time with my youth group would be like showing up to a meal without any food. However , God sometimes has His own ideas about what's going to happen. I'm okay with this, even though it does throw my Type-A planning style into a bit of a tizzy. Of course, since I often teach others that God is not as concerned about their plans as He is His plans, I suppose that applies to me as well. It happened again this week. We were discussing all the excuses Moses was making when God called Him. I'm sure it's not the first time they have heard this idea, but we were rolling along in the story. We came to the part of the story where Moses asks what will happen if the people don't believe God sent him. God provides Moses with a sign. Moses is to throw down his staff. God will turn it into a snake. Then Moses is to pick it up by its tail and it will turn back into a staff. It was as I w...

I've been duplicating myself this week by posting portions of the sermons I'm delivering at a camp. For today, I thought I'd share towards the end, right before I make the classic camp altar call.  Night 4 - God is Personal Life only makes sense when you see things from a God-eye view. See, God has this idea in His divine mind that since He is the best thing ever, our sole desire should be for more of Him. If it weren't, Jesus wouldn't have said such crazy things as He did in Matthew 13:44-46. He tells us of a guy out treasure hunting. He doesn't tell us much, but the treasure was hidden in a field. So the guy that was looking, was looking on purpose. He probably had a metal detector and a shovel with him. And when he found it, Jesus says that he hid it again, and in his joy went and sold all he had and bought the field. It’s hard to even put this in terms that we can relate to. How many of you are bargain hunters? Do you clip coupons and search papers or ...

If you recall any camp or conference you ever attended, usually there is a 'salvation night'. Who am I to mess with that method? Pray for us all as we worship God together tonight. Pray for the children and teens to hear, really hear, about God's love for them.  God is Awesome! Pirates and Ninjas Romans 5:12, “ When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. ”   We can read verses like Romans 5:12 and be pretty bummed. We didn't choose Adam to represent all of us. What's Adam's deal, anyway? Isn't he kind of a doofus for messing it up for all of us?  But then we scroll down to Romans 5:18-19 18  Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.   19  Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous....

I'm giving you my camp talks while I am away this week. Well, I'm giving you parts of my camp talks. Here's night 2. God is Powerful! Let me ask you a question. If you have one apple and I take your apple, how many apples do you have? None, right? If I ask you for another apple, will you be able to give me one? No. But there was a time, back in the Old Testament, a prophet named Elijah went to live with a widow and her son. He asked her for some water and some bread. This is how she answers. 12  But she said, “I swear by the   Lord   your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.” Most of us would hear that and say something like, ‘Oh, sorry. Never mind about the bread.’ But Elijah says, “Hmm, don’t be afraid. Go ahead and cook it up, but could you bring ...

I'm teaching at a camp this week. But why should my absence leave you lonely out here in the internet wilderness? I'm giving you pieces of my camp talks this week. As you read through them, you can either dream of being at the camp, soaking in extended cuts. Or you can pray that the campers aren't suffering too much. Your choice. Night One - God is Big! Genesis 1:1 -  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The marvel of this verse is that ‘heavens’ refers to all of the rest of this great big universe. So it is remarkable to think that in verse 1, God would list that He made the great big universe and secondly, the Earth. It is also remarkable that the focus then turns to the Earth and what He does here. So let’s talk about the earth and the universe it is in. I’ve already mentioned a bit about distances. Let’s talk about the size of the Earth. The circumference of the earth at the equator is 24,901 miles. We often think about how big Earth is. A...

I'm sure, as a tireless student of my blog, that you have noticed certain thing about my blog here. I don't normally shout out my personal church or denomination. I also tend to stray from the controversial topics that plague our society. One of the reasons is my desire to not be constantly part of the drama. But the bigger reason is my belief that, in most cases, a final answer has not yet been heard.  Jesus has declared Truth and I believe that is final. But in our world we see so many voices jump to conclusions on one day and then recant the following day. I want to be a level headed voice amidst the noise.  Having said all that, I'm going to link you to a page by the leaders of the denomination to which I belong. Oh, and they are responding to very current and very controversial issues, namely, the Defense of Marriage.  Here you go. Woo!

I remember. Its a funny thing about memories. We seem to recall what we want to recall. If we have fond memories of a time or place, we forget what was unpleasant. On the other hand, if we do not have fond memories, then nothing good could have possibly happened in relation to said time, person or place. This graphic does a pretty good job of explaining this. (visit  http://survivingtheworld.net/  for more of these fun comics.) I remember my childhood. I grew up in Florida. I remember warm weather, fun vacations, lots of boisterous noise and many hours spent playing outside. But memories can be tricky. If I'm honest with myself I also remember sunburns. That sun was hot. I remember 40 hours driving in a van to our destination. My parents didn't believe in planes. The boisterous noise may have been, at times, sibling rivalry. Oh, and during one of those hours outside, I was almost kidnapped, though I'm sure they would have brought me back. Memories, right...